On March 21st – a day packed with symbolism – Mother’s Day and the start of Spring – Maison Rabih Kayrouz (MRK) moves to the 19th Century Dagher Palace in Beirut’s Gemmayze district.
It is 20 years since MRK launched in Beirut, and 10 years since MRK opened in Paris.
MRK in Gemmayze is the next inspired move which decade on decade has taken the fashion house and Rabih Kayrouz to new heights.
Recently awarded Haute Couturier status by the French Couture Federation, Kayrouz straddles two worlds: Beirut and Paris; East and West; Couture and Ready to Wear.
Embracing these contrasts, Kayrouz’ style is a combination of oriental sensuality and sunshine, with the rigor of Parisian structure.
In Dagher Palace a new fusion emerges. The new MRK Beirut will be both a showroom and an atelier, home to both the haute couture and ready to wear collections.
Unveiling the new location, Kayrouz said: “I was looking for a new place where I could combine everything and focus my energy in one place. Then by chance I visited an exhibition in this marvelous house, and I knew this was where I was meant to be. Just like that, I felt I had come home. It was clear to me from the first moment where everything should and would be in this magical space.”
When MRK’s doors open on March 21, they will do so in more than one way.
Visitors stepping into the vaulted, light-filled showroom will also be invited to explore what normally goes on behind closed doors.
They will witness the inner workings of the MRK atelier; meet the tailors and seamstresses hard at work in the adjacent rooms; and discover the creativity behind Kayrouz’ sumptuous couture pieces, his sinuous ready to wear collection and his brand new ready to wear bridal collection.
All will be revealed – except Kayrouz’ “cabinet de curiosité”, the inner sanctum for private fittings and exclusive orders.
The elegant Dagher Palace is the perfect backdrop for thecollections. Impeccably restored by owner-architect Fadlo Dagher it was once the site of a silk weaving factory. Where thread was once woven, now it is sewn.
“When you walk into the house you feel you are part of a grand painting, with Baroque décor beautifully offset by the luminous Mediterranean light,” Kayrouz says.
With MRK in situ this “grand painting” will be reinterpreted season by season, not only by the collections, but also by artists and designers invited to embellish the space with new installations. As Kayrouz puts it, the house will be like a blank canvas wherein every season you will have new pieces of art.
MRK is distinguished by its iconic locations:
The first atelier was established in an early 20th Century apartment building on Rue du Liban redolent with the charm of old Beirut. For Kayrouz, newly returned from studying in Paris, it captured the optimism of Beirut just emerging from the tragedy of war.
MRK Paris, nestles in a cleverly converted, historic theatre building where Samuel Becket first staged his legendary “Waiting for Godot”.
Unlike Godot, Rabih Kayrouz is very present and brimming with enthusiasm. Along with the prestigious new location for MRK Beirut, comes a smart new logo, a 21st Century calling card that announces MRK has embarked on its third cycle, a “New Beginning”.